20th Century Fox Canada x Mr. Will want to take Readers to an Advance Screening of TIFF ’18 selection, THE HATE U GIVE!

Screening takes place in:

TORONTO
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
7:00PM
Scotiabank Theatre

MONTREAL – ENGLISH
Wednesday, October 10
7:00PM
Cinema Banque Scotia

MONTREAL – FRENCH
Wednesday, October 17
7:00PM
Starcite Montreal

VANCOUVER
Wednesday, October 10
7:00PN
Scotiabank Vancouver
 

Synopsis:
Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg) attends a private prep school with mostly white kids, but lives in a poor, black neighborhood. One night, her best friend Khalil (Algee Smith) drives her home from a party and they’re stopped by police. Khalil is told to get out of the car and when he does, the cop shoots him dead. Shocked and horrified, Starr doesn’t know what to do. Her family always tries to avoid the police, who always seem to be targetting black people.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate your City. Re-Tweet this Contest Tweet via @mrwillw for an extra chance!

20th Century Fox Canada release THE HATE U GIVE Friday, October 19, 2018.

(Photo/video credit: 20th Century Fox Canada)

If you were in and around Roy Thomson Hall TIFF ’18, you could not avoid Acura‘s presence at the Festival. We had the pure joy of test-driving the 2018 Acura ILX this TIFF. Sleek, stylish and sophisicated, we wouldn’t have endured those late nights and early mornings without the ILX. It was our MVP, no doubt.

We felt sheer confidence owning the road, empowered by its 2.4-litre, 16-valve, DOHC, i-VTEC® 4-cylinder engine. The ILX operates at an impressive 201 horsepower, with engine torque of 180 lb.-ft. @ 3600 rpm.

Above this, we are reminded frequently of its safety features including a Forward Collision Warning (FCW) system, Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system, Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Blind Spot Information system (BSI) and Road Departure Mitigation (RDM™) system. We’ll admit that those 4 AM drives home having slept an hour the night before during TIFF, can be a test of endurance. These features helped keep is safe and aware.

Parking in those tight, testy downtown parking lots is a challenge but the ILX’s Multi-angle rearview camera with guidelines made it all so easy!

With television appearances, screenings are star sightings around town to tend to, we cannot stress how crucial it was to stay connected with multiple USB charging ports, HandsFreeLink™-Bluetooth® capability and an 8-inch LED backlit VGA display. We love that Acura still believes in CD players in addition to an array of options to stream music off our phone, plus Sirius XM. We just wish there was a way to hear Google Maps through car’s sound system while listening to Sirius XM, the radio or CDs.

We admit being more tired than ever keeping-up with the Festival’s frantic pacing, that’s why we found real comfort retreating to our ILX for the occasional powernap. Its 8-way power adjustable driver’s seat and 2-position memory were our bed away from home and we loved being able to stare up through its moonroof and collect our thoughts and plan our next steps.

The ILX is a bit of a ‘gas guzzler’ with City/Hwy/Combined fuel economy of
9.4/6.8/8.2 litres/100 km. In some instances we found half a tank of gas gone after a day of driving and perhaps this is where Acura could take notes from its sister, Honda which has mastered fuel economy with its popular ECON mode option.

That being said, the 2018 Acura ILX is a statement of class, prestige and luxury. We will never forget the memories we made TIFF ’18 with it!

More on it here.

Right in-time for Christmas comes MARY POPPINS RETURNS! Check-out this gorgeous new Poster and Trailer!

Synopsis:
In Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns,” an all new original musical and sequel, Mary Poppins is back to help the next generation of the Banks family find the joy and wonder missing in their lives following a personal loss. Emily Blunt stars as the practically-perfect nanny with unique magical skills who can turn any ordinary task into an unforgettable, fantastic adventure and Lin-Manuel Miranda plays her friend Jack, an optimistic street lamplighter who helps bring light—and life—to the streets of London.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada release MARY POPPINS RETURNS Friday, December 19, 2018.

(Photo/video credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada)

By Mr. Will Wong

It’s hard to believe TIFF ’18 already has come to an end! Amidst the half-hour sleeps and hustling venue to venue we now can finally take a deep breath and appreciate what a wonderful Festival it was yet again! While this edition definitely was a bit of endurance test – we were working right to the end – it is one of those things you look back at and miss greatly. We already are strategizing for TIFF ’19 and believe us, we’ll be ready!

A warmhearted thank you to all our followers who keep us motivated on Social Media with all your encouragement and also our amazing partners: Nikon Canada, H&M Canada, Starbucks Canada, Blackberry Canada, Acura Canada, Britbox Canada, Dufflet Pastries, Chatime Canada, KANDL Artistique, INK Entertainment and CP24. We wouldn’t be doing what we do without YOU!

Also, a huge congrats to Leonardo who won our TIFF ’18 Survival Prize Pack! He was overjoyed and will be sure to spoil himself with all that swag!

This is the first year ever we’ve appeared in some form on Canada’s big three giants: Corus, Rogers and Bell Media with televised appearances on Global News, Breakfast Television and CP24 respectively. We also had to turn-down others unfortunately due to scheduling (every minute counts during TIFF), but there’s always hope we can take care of everyone next year!

I also must thank my amazing Team of Contributors who worked feverishly to get their Reviews in throughout the Festival to keep our Readers informed of what’s good. David Baldwin, Amanda Gilmore, Siobhan Rich, Justin Waldman and George Kozera, thank you for all the hard work you do!

While we simply were too exhausted to post last night, here are some Snaps from our final TIFF ’18 event, the Red Carpet of Closing Night Gala JEREMIAH TERMINATOR LeROY starring Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern and Jim Sturgess. We got to chat briefly with breakout stars James Jagger (son of Mick) and Kelvin Harrison Jr.

The Film is based on the Memoir Girl Boy Girl: How I Became JT Leroy by Savannah Knoop and is about a woman who spent six years masquerading as Writer Laura Albert‘s created teenage male literary persona JT LeRoy, directed and co-written by Justin Kelly. We ask stars Kevin Harrison Jr. and James Jagger about the importance of a story like this which examines gender confirmation and fluidity in the now.

Jagger: “I think it’s  interesting in this industry that it’s taken so long for it to get to a place where it is now, there have been a lot of false hopes. I think finally we are seeing some true development. I think certain exponents of this Film have been working towards that for a really long time. I think it’s an exciting time to be alive!”.

Harrison: “We all have our online personalities that we like to put out there and this Film is the OG (original) version of what that was and I find that interesting, but we continue to be progressing.”

We ask Jagger and Harrison what drew them most to the Film?

Jagger: “It was the opportunity to be in scene with Diane (Kruger) and that really was the thing that drew me most. Diane I’ve been a fan of for a really long time. It was a good day, it’s been an absolute pleasure.”.

Harrison: “I was drawn to the idea of playing this Basquiat-type guy who gets to fall in love with someone interesting – we’re both really queer in the Movie and we love each other. That was interesting to me.”.

A cheerful goodbye to TIFF ’18, with waves from Dern and Stewart! See you next year!

(Photo/video credit: Amanda Gilmore/Mr. Will Wong)

By Mr. Will Wong

While known much for his funny Films, Peter Farrelly, one-half of the Duo which brought us classics There’s Something About Mary and Me, Myself & Irene, gifts us at TIFF ’18 with the Sleeper Hit of the Festival, GREEN BOOK. The heartwarming Comedy details the unlikely friendship between a Concert Pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) and his bouncer-turned-chaffeur Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen). While from completely opposite worlds, it is impossible not to be charmed by the back-and-forth banter between sophisticated Don and tough-talking Tony in this witty Script by the latter’s actual son Nick Vallelonga, Brian Hayes Currie and Farrelly.

Performances are outstanding from our leading Trio. Mortensen continues to build his stellar catalog of work and is pitch-perfect throughout the Film’s light and heavier moments which don’t shy away from matters which still are true today. Ali is remarkable as Shirley, capturing his strength and fragility – we were spellbound. Cardellini while under-written and under-seen is a joy every time she is on-screen. We are thrilled for audiences to discover this gem, giving TIFF ’18 a much-needed lift of spirits.

GREEN BOOK screens Thursday, September 13  Winter Garden Theatre 2:30 PM and Saturday, September 15 Princess of Wales Theatre (VISA Screening Room) 3 PM.

By Mr. Will Wong

Making its World Premiere at TIFF ’18 is Felix Van Groeningen‘s adaptation of Memoirs Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff and Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff. The highly-buzzed Film details a father and son’s battle through drug addiction, relapse and reconciliation.

Stars Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell shine in this beautifully-acted Awards Season contender, the former capturing the essence of addiction and his character’s chasing euphoric highs and ultimate rock bottom. The latter embodies well a father’s pain and frustration in helping his troubled son, when the odds are stacked against both. Focusing less on emotional manipulation of its audience and more on the journey and its authenticity, Van Groeningen crafts a patiently-told story. While performances unquestionably are phenomenal, it is it tough to feel invested in a protagonist who continually makes wrong choices, despite Chalamet courageously trying to help us try to understand him. While its cohesiveness ultimately is its main downfall with frequent timeline jumping, fans of the source material and “It Boy” Chalamet will find beauty in this Drama.

BEAUTIFUL BOY screens Friday, September 7 at Roy Thomson Hall and then 8 PM at Elgin Theatre. It plays also Saturday, September 8 Ryerson Theatre 10:45 AM.

THE PREDATOR, hot off its TIFF ’18 debut last week, preys upon the competition and devours them to the tune of $24.7 million from 4,037 theatres at the Box Office this weekend, taking top spot for 20th Century Fox. It gets 34% on the Tomatometer and a C+ CinemaScore.

In second is last week’s champ THE NUN, which takes $19 million in its second week for Warner Bros. The latest in the  bankable Conjuring Franchise has a two week tally of $86 million domestically.

Debuting in third is A SIMPLE FAVOR, Director Paul Feig‘s first foray into Thrillers. It opens with $16 million from 3,102 theatres for Lionsgate Films/eOne Films with 82% on the Tomatometer and also a B+ CinemaScore.

Another TIFF ’18 selection, WHITE BOY RICK opens in fourth with $9.3 million from 2,504 theatres for Sony Pictures. It gets 63% on the Tomatometer and B CinemaScore.

Rounding-out the Top Ten is MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT with $2.3 million for Paramount Pictures. It tallies approximately $215 million in its North American run to date.

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

Marie Colvin (Rosamund Pike) was an acclaimed Journalist who lived for covering stories on the front lines of war-torn nations. She lost an eye in a grenade attack in Sri Lanka, and started wearing an eye patch while continuing to cover the worst of stories. But as the years and wars wear on, so too does the PTSD of everything she’s seen.

In his Narrative Feature debut, Documentarian Matthew Heineman has crafted a Film that is gritty, real and immediate. You can see, hear and especially feel every whizzing bullet and every heinous explosion. The Film has an aura of authenticity that is made all the more frightening by the lack of obvious CGI. Pike is very good as Colvin, and fan favourite Jamie Dornan puts in admirable work as Photojournalist Paul Conroy. But the Film has a choppy, episodic nature that acts more like a glossy greatest hits album than it does a cohesively-structured Film. It jumps around recklessly, and by the time the Film ends, it felt like everyone’s motivations were completely superficial.

A Private War screens Friday, September 14 at 6:30 PM at Roy Thomson Hall [World Premiere] and 8:00 PM at Elgin Theatre, and Sunday, September 16 at 8:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre.

Review by George Kozera for Mr. Will Wong

Polish Director Pawel Pawlikowski’s follow-up to his Oscar winning “Ida” is another delectable black and white Feature that focuses strongly on his past and his heritage. Dedicated to his parents, COLD WAR is an exquisite love story between an older man and younger girl that is doomed from the start, yet lasts a decade throughout many countries in Europe during the cold war decade. Wiktor meets Zula when she auditions to join a folkloric song and dance troupe and the attraction is instantaneous. To a soundtrack of classic Polish songs enhanced by the twirling dance moves of the Oberek, COLD WAR is visually-exhilarating. While in Paris on tour, Wiktor defects but Zula stays behind and this Movie vibrates whenever the two reunite.

One word comes to mind when describing COLD WAR. Atmospheric. From the jazzy Soundtrack and the Cinematography to the hypnotic performances by the two leads, the tone is spellbinding. There’s another word to describe this Movie. Brilliant.

COLD WAR screens on Friday, September 14, 6:00PM, Winter Garden Theatre and Sunday, September 16, 3:00 PM, TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

After stops at Venice (where it won the prestigious Golden Bear) and Telluride, Oscar-winning Director Alfonso Cuarón has brought ROMA to TIFF. The Film takes place in the early 1970s, revolving around live-in maid Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) and the middle-class family she works for in Mexico City’s Roma district.

The story at the heart of ROMA is important to the Film, but it comes secondary to the feeling and nostalgia Cuarón evokes in every frame of his stunningly-beautiful Film. He wears multiple hats here, acting as Writer, Producer, Director, Editor, Cinematographer – so this is very much his Film through and through. The spectacular look he creates comes from shooting on 65mm Black and White film, giving the picture an aura of authenticity. Each scene looks like a work of art, with multiple elements working altogether at once to produce a very real portrait of life in Mexico City. While I wish ROMA was more briskly paced and had more going on (beyond the lively third act), I was too busy trying to spot everything happening on-screen to notice.

ROMA screens on Monday, September 10 at 5:30PM at Princess of Wales Theatre, and on the following days/times at TIFF Bell Lightbox: Tuesday, September 11 at 8:45AM, Wednesday, September 12 at 12:00PM, Thursday, September 13 at 11:30AM, Friday, September 14 at 9:15AM, Saturday, September 15 at 8:45 PM and Sunday, September 16 at 2:45 PM.